steampediafandomcom-20200214-history
Michael Egan
Black Michael Egan, commonly known as Black Mike, is an Irish immigrant living somewhere in the Five Points/Bowery area of New York City. Egan is a mid-level thug and enforcer for the Dead Mainsprings, a predominantly Irish gang that largely finds its membership amongst the underclass working in the clockworks, docks, and factories that populate the area surrounding the slum. The Dead Mainsprings Little is known about the Dead Mainsprings, as a street gang. It appears to have splintered off from the Dead Rabbits during the aftermath of the Dead Rabbits Riot, which roughly coincided with the Clockwork Revolution. They continued on many of the traditions of the Dead Rabbits, continuing to fight against the Bowery Boys and other nativist gangs, while also adding elements of murder-for-hire and anti-industrial/anti-capitalist terrorism to their repertoire. The Dead Mainsprings are led by a shadowy figure known as Gray Robert, who rumor has it is Michael's father. As the identity of the leader remains more or less unknown, this is an unsubstantiated rumor. They identify themselves internally by a red stripe on the sides of their trousers, and by wearing the broken mainspring of a watch or clock in their hatband. They are usually armed with knives or pistols, and hammers (for smashing.) On the person of Padraig Murphui, an enforcer, was found the following table of rates for criminal acts: *Punching $1 *Both eyes blacked $3 *Nose and jaw broke $7 *Jacked out (knocked out with a Blackjack) $15 *Ear chewed off $15 *Leg or arm broke $19 *Shot in the leg $20 *Stab $21.50 *Sabotage $50 *Murder $100 and up From this it is clear that the Mainsprings are not merely a nuisance, but a threat to be considered quite dangerous, especially if they should ever join forces with other gangs in the area. For the time being, they are kept in check by the ongoing gang rivalries; every gang in the Five Points area (and indeed the greater Manhattan community) is constantly at the throats of every other gang, and the shifting alliances and enmities allow the police to merely arrest the occasional individual and ensure that the gangs keep their violence in check via a minor amount of influence trading. The political machine is kept oiled by the gangs, and the politicians ensure that the gangs are largely left to their own devices. Egan's Involvement Egan joined when he was 15, and rose through the ranks somewhat slowly to his current position. He seemed reluctant, at least initially, to participate in the more violent side of the gang's activities, preferring to involve himself in the relatively peaceful pursuits of sabotaging machinery and destroying clockwork. Of late, he is known to have been the main actor in at least three murders and seven sabotages, and an unknown number of minor assaults and injuries. Involvement in International Affairs Egan is utterly unknown on the international stage, appearing periodically at large gatherings to spy on various individuals for the purposes of the Mainsprings. Category:Original Characters Category:IAPS Canon